10 ways councils are making budgets go further
Discover 10 ways councils are stretching budgets further, from digital transformation and energy efficiency to community partnerships and data-driven decision-making.
Pride in Place programme to invest up to £5bn in local areas
11/11/2025 Up to £5bn will be given to 250 areas across the UK in the Government’s Pride in Place programme. |
Council and ICB 'taking decisive action' to tackle SEND failings
10/11/2025 Slough Local Area Partnership, which comprises Slough BC and NHS Frimley ICB, have said it is taking decisive action to improve quality of SEND services. |
Vent-Axia Helps Tackle Condensation and Mould this World Ventilation Day
06/11/2025 Leading ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia is once again supporting World Ventilation Day. |
Islington Council wins baby vaccination court battle
06/11/2025 Islington Council has won a High Court battle to vaccinate a baby against her mother’s wishes. |
Employer-led vanguards to tackle workplace ill-health
06/11/2025 Employer-led vanguards including mayoral combined authorities will drive forward Government plans to get people with ill-health and disabilities back to work. |
Airtech Calls For Urgent Government Action to Support Radon Awareness Week
05/11/2025 Airtech, the condensation, mould and radon specialists, is once again supporting UK Radon Awareness Week by helping raise awareness of the radioactive gas. |
Government 'won't look' away as children become unhealthier
05/11/2025 Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting says that the Government ‘won’t look away as kids become unhealthier’, his comments come as new figures reveal the scale of the childhood obesity problem. |
'We need urgent clarity on redundancies funding,' warn ICB leaders
04/11/2025 ICB leaders have warned the Government that clarity on £1bn funding for redundancies is urgently required to move NHS reforms forward. |
Autumn Budget Insights: Time to deliver for adult social care
30/10/2025 With demand rising, the Autumn Budget offers a critical chance to secure sustainable investment for adult social care, writes ADASS President Jess McGregor. |
Government lacks understanding of the value of hospices, NAO finds
29/10/2025 The DHSC and NHSE do not know how funding is used by hospices for palliative and end-of-life care due to a lack of central oversight, according to the NAO. |
LGA welcomes Awaab’s Law but flags resource gap
27/10/2025 Council chiefs have welcomed the introduction of Awaab’s Law, but called for more funding to support implementation. |
Supporting older people's health and fitness
24/10/2025 Phil Donnay looks at the importance for older people of keeping active. |
Vent-Axia’s New Smart Fan Helps Landlords Stay Ahead of Awaab’s Law
24/10/2025 As Awaab’s Law comes into effect for social landlords in England, Vent-Axia is urging landlords to take proactive steps to improve poor indoor air quality. |
Deprived areas hit hardest by pharmacy closures
24/10/2025 England’s most deprived areas are bearing the brunt of pharmacy closures, new research from the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has revealed. |
Lack of investment 'threatens' shift to community care, says CQC
24/10/2025 A lack of investment in community services threatens the 10-Year Health Plan’s goal of shifting care closer to home, according to the CQC. |
Weak enforcement fuels growth in wood burning grievances
22/10/2025 Councils face rising pressure as poor enforcement of wood burning laws leaves communities exposed to harmful air pollution. |
Government pledges £80m to support children’s hospices
15/10/2025 Children’s and young people’s hospices in England will receive £80m over the next three years. |
Government to crackdown on traders selling vapes to children
09/10/2025 New rules for retailers selling tobacco, vapes and nicotine products are being proposed by the Government. |
Ombudsman slams council over safeguarding backlog
02/10/2025 The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has exposed a major safeguarding failure in Haringey, as hundreds of police welfare reports go unread. |
Labour conference: McGuinness calls for more health devolution
02/10/2025 More should be done to devolve health, mayor of the North East Kim McGuinness has told a Labour Party conference fringe session. |
Council reveals ‘urgent need’ for drug and alcohol commissioner
02/10/2025 West Northamptonshire Council is looking to appoint a temporary Drug and Alcohol Commissioner. |
Care sector to benefit from £500m fair pay initiative
30/09/2025 The UK Government has announced a £500m investment to establish the first ever Fair Pay Agreement for adult care workers in England. |
Opioid deaths 55% higher than official figures, study reveals
17/09/2025 New research from King’s College reveals that opioid-related deaths in England and Wales over the past decade are about 55% higher than previously recorded. |
AI home care tool could ease health service strain
16/09/2025 An AI-enabled medical app could reduce the burden on overstretched local health services. |
Edible playgrounds sprout up in Sunderland schools
12/09/2025 Three primary schools in Sunderland are embracing outdoor learning with the installation of new Edible Playgrounds. |
Call to boost physical activity for children in care
10/09/2025 Care-experienced children and young people are a ‘hidden group’ often overlooked in physical activity policy, according to a report launched today by the LGA. |
Vent-Axia Delivers Social Housing a Smart Ventilation Solution Ahead of Awaab’s Law
09/09/2025 Leading British ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia has unveiled an industry first with its new Lo-Carbon Revive 7 Switchee-Enabled smart ventilation. |
Care sector unprepared for Terminally Ill Adults Bill
09/09/2025 The adult social care sector is largely unprepared for the implementation of the Terminally Ill Adults (TIA) Bill, says Care England. |
Greater Manchester launches North’s first nature recovery strategy
04/09/2025 Greater Manchester has launched the first Local Nature Recovery Strategy in the North, aiming to reverse decades of wildlife decline and improve green spaces. |
Councils push early check service to tackle health gaps
03/09/2025 Free NHS health check invites were sent to more than one million people aged 40 and over by March this year, the Local Government Association (LGA) has revealed. |
Schools lag on processed meat substitutes
01/09/2025 Over two thirds of councils are yet to remove cured meats from school menus, experts have warned. |
Airtech Helps Landlords Comply with Awaab’s Law
29/08/2025 Condensation and mould specialists, Airtech, are offering help to social housing landlords ahead of Awaab’s Law coming into effect on 27 October 2025. |
One in 10 supported homes at risk
29/08/2025 50,000 specialist homes for people with support needs are at imminent risk of closure due to ongoing funding pressures, National Housing Federation warns. |
Lewisham slammed over child homelessness failings
28/08/2025 Lewisham Council has been criticised for leaving a seriously ill child at risk after failing to act swiftly in a homelessness case. |
Councils warn of widening inequalities in NHS dental access
28/08/2025 Communities in deprived and rural areas are facing the biggest struggles to access NHS dental care, according to the Local Government Association (LGA). |
EXCLUSIVE: Sector warns Government over rental crackdown
15/08/2025 Councils have privately warned they will be unable to enforce a planned toughening up of regulations on the quality of rented homes without extra funding. |
High energy prices forcing councils to cool swimming pools
14/08/2025 Councils are decreasing temperatures in swimming pools due to high energy prices, data says. |
Councils crack down on dangerous fake Labubus sold by ‘rogue traders’
13/08/2025 A number of councils have issued statements about the health and safety risks posed by fake Labubu toys. |
Social care services in Wales receive £30m boost
12/08/2025 Local authorities across Wales are set to receive a £30m funding boost from the Welsh Government to strengthen community-based social care services. |
Extreme heat threatens thousands of care home residents
12/08/2025 Nearly 10,000 care homes are in parts of England facing extreme levels of heat, increasing the chances of heat-related deaths, campaigners have warned. |
Mayor of London triggers air pollution alert
12/08/2025 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has issued an air pollution alert as temperatures threaten to rise above 30C, creating dangerously high ozone levels. |
Council fined following care home health and safety issues
11/08/2025 A fine of nearly £100,000 has been issued to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Council due to an incident in St Brendan's Care Home. |
All of England's LRFs to take part in pandemic exercise
11/08/2025 All of England's Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) will take part in a simulation exercise designed to test the nation's response in the event of a pandemic. |
Work scheme for people with health conditions launches in West England
11/08/2025 A programme to help people with health conditions back into the workplace has been launched in the West of England. |
New council licensing system to combat ‘cosmetic cowboys’
07/08/2025 A new licensing system is to be developed to regulate unsafe cosmetic treatments, with restrictions on high-risk procedures like Brazilian Butt Lifts. |
Remove barriers to gym access, councils told
07/08/2025 Councils urged to improve gym access for people with mental illness, as new report highlights barriers and calls for inclusive fitness services. |
Council launches investigation into water park death
06/08/2025 Stoke-on-Trent City Council has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a four-year-old girl at the Waterworld water park. |
Government denies delay to ICB cluster launch
05/08/2025 The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has denied plans to launch Integrated Care Board (ICB) clusters have been delayed. |
ICBs and councils replace vital services following NRS Healthcare collapse
04/08/2025 ICBs and councils have announced new partnerships to replace vital services previously provided by NRS Healthcare after it went to liquidation last week. |
‘Risk to life’ warning as healthcare equipment maker faces collapse
31/07/2025 Council leaders have warned of a ‘a devastating impact’ and ‘risk to life’ with a healthcare equipment maker on the brink of collapse. |
Pesticide use persists despite health concerns
30/07/2025 Over half of councils in the UK continue to use pesticides in public spaces, such as parks and playgrounds, despite environmental and health concerns. |
Councils hail 24% rise in attempts to quit smoking
25/07/2025 The number of people attempting to quit smoking using council commissioned Stop Smoking Services has grown by almost a quarter, according to NHSE data. |
Council secures £1m investment to support vulnerable children
18/07/2025 Havering Council has secured a £1m investment to support vulnerable children. |
Measles death prompts call to improve vaccine uptake
14/07/2025 There is an urgent need to address falling immunisation rates to protect children against measles, local authority leaders have said. |
EHCPs ‘under threat’, campaigners warn
07/07/2025 Campaigners are urging the Government not to cut education, health and care plans (EHCPs) for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). |
Family Hubs to open in every council area
07/07/2025 The Government has announced a plan to open 1,000 Sure Start-inspired Family Hubs by 2028 to help deliver support to parents in every council area in England. |
LGA: Councils have £276bn of untapped potential
04/07/2025 Government support overcoming place-specific barriers to growth could help local authorities unleash £276bn of untapped economic potential, research suggests. |
LGA calls for new coalition to fix health and care system
01/07/2025 Local authority leaders have called for a new ‘national-local coalition’ that puts prevention at the centre of a modern health and care system. |
Rough sleeping rates surge by 63% over a decade
30/06/2025 Rough sleeping rates in London reached a peak between April 2024 and March 2025, research reveals. |
Reform council leader resigns leaving teenager in charge
26/06/2025 A Reform UK councillor has stepped down from his role as Warwickshire County Council leader due to health challenges, leaving 18-year-old deputy in charge. |
Scrap council tax for terminally ill people, charity says
24/06/2025 An end-of-life charity has called on councils across England to scrap council tax for people living with a terminal illness. |
Number of family hubs down by a third
24/06/2025 The number of family hubs and children’s centres in England has reduced by more than a third since 2009, freedom of information (FOI) requests have revealed. |
Council chiefs welcome home cervical cancer screening kits
24/06/2025 Local authority leaders have welcomed the Government’s announcement that self-sampling kits used to check for cervical cancer will soon be available. |
Reform mayor ‘deeply concerned’ about ICB merger plans
23/06/2025 Reform UK Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire Dame Andrea Jenkyns is ‘deeply concerned’ about plans to merge with Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. |
Housing without delay: removing one of the major obstacles
17/06/2025 The new Housing Without Delay initiative focusses on using preventative measures within the home as a health intervention. |
Council seeks advice after Botox hospitalisations
16/06/2025 Fourteen people who received cosmetic injections in County Durham and Darlington were recently admitted to hospital following ‘adverse reactions’. |
Everyone Active launches new Community Champions scheme
09/06/2025 Leisure Operator, Everyone Active, launches new Community Champions scheme to fund local projects. |
Council chiefs call for boost to occupational therapist workforce
09/06/2025 Council leaders have called on the Government to invest in occupational therapists (OTs) to improve health, care, and prevention strategy outcomes. |
Stockpiling vapes could ‘cost lives’, says the LGA
30/05/2025 Stockpiling single-use vapes ahead of the ban could cause severe health and fire hazards, council chiefs warn. |
School meals posing ‘worrying’ health risks, charity warns
29/05/2025 Schools must do more to support children’s long-term health by reducing the quantity of processed meat served at mealtimes, charity says. |
Children face ‘catastrophic’ care waiting times
22/05/2025 Hundreds of thousands of children are being left waiting for vital community care services, children’s health care professionals warn. |
NHS and local government partner on gonorrhoea vaccine
21/05/2025 The NHS and local government have partnered on the roll-out of a world-first vaccine programme to prevent gonorrhoea. |
Rise in drug-related deaths reveals ‘stark’ inequalities
20/05/2025 A recent study by the Health Foundation reveals a drastic increase in the number of drug-related deaths in the UK and striking geographical inequalities. |
Health organisations call for smacking ban
16/05/2025 An open letter signed by 13 leading health organisations has been sent to Government demanding that the ‘reasonable’ defense of physically punishing children is abolished. |
Lung conditions disproportionately impact minority ethnic groups, asthma charity says
15/05/2025 Minority ethnic groups and those from deprived communities are significantly more likely to be hospitalised for asthma, new research reveals. |
International recruitment of care workers to end
12/05/2025 The Government is set to end the recruitment of care workers from overseas to bring down the migration figures, but critics call the move a ‘crushing blow’. |
High Court rules Lambeth LTN ‘unlawful’
12/05/2025 Lambeth Council's controversial low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) scheme has been ruled ‘unlawful’ by the High Court. |
Blueprint document sets out changes to ICB functions
08/05/2025 A blueprint document has set out changes to integrated care board (ICB) functions with a number being transferred to neighbourhood providers and NHS regions. |
VE Day: Council duties under the Armed Forces Covenant
08/05/2025 As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Geoff Wild, Legal & Governance Consultant, looks at the duties of councils under the Armed Forces Covenant. |
Government launches support network to help local veterans
06/05/2025 Local authority leaders have welcomed a new system designed to make it easier for veterans to access care and support but cautioned against the duplication of services. |
MPs warn of the cost of inaction on social care reform
06/05/2025 MPs have urged the Government to measure the cost of inaction on social care and warned that failing to do so would mean reforms are ‘doomed to failure’. |
NHS backlog not driven by surge in benefit claims
02/05/2025 The increase in NHS waiting lists is unlikely to be connected to the recent surge in health-related benefits claims, according to the IFS. |
Casey Commission: 2036 deadline for social care reform ‘too late’
02/05/2025 The terms of reference for the Casey Commission’s review of adult social care have been published, but critics remain concerned care is 'back of the queue’. |
Hunger costs put severe strain on public services
29/04/2025 Public services are under £13.7bn worth of pressure due to the Government’s negligence in addressing hunger and hardship, according to anti-poverty charity. |
NHS contract proposals pledge 'greater control' for ICBs
15/04/2025 New proposals by NHSE pledge to give ICBs greater control over NHS contract activity. |
Matrix Workforce Management Solutions Appoints Andrew Curry as Client Engagement Director for Health and Social Care
09/04/2025 Matrix, a leader in Workforce Management Solutions, has announced the appointment of Andrew Curry as Client Engagement Director for Health and Social Care. |
Councils spend £40m fighting ‘ratflation’
09/04/2025 Local authority pest control services made nearly 300,000 visits to people’s homes to deal with pest infestations last year at a cost of £40m. |
Anti-abortion campaigner fined £20k for ‘buffer zone’ breach
07/04/2025 An anti-abortion campaigner has been given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £20,000 to BCP Council for breaching a protest ‘buffer zone’. |
Local area partnership promises urgent improvements
03/04/2025 Bracknell Forest Council and NHS Frimley ICB have promised ‘urgent and sustained improvements’ following a critical Ofsted and CQC report. |
Croydon woman breaks back after care funding cut
28/03/2025 A woman in Croydon sustained a serious back injury using an NHS bed turning aid after the local authority cut funding for her night-time care. |
A national asbestos record could prove positive for councils
26/03/2025 With momentum for a national record of asbestos in public buildings, Nicola Dawn, a Partner at Forbes Solicitors, looks at how this could benefit councils. |
Care providers launch legal action over NICs rise
25/03/2025 Care England has launched legal action over the Government’s rise in National Insurance Contributions (NICs) for care providers. |
Streeting pledges to spend more on social care through NHS
24/03/2025 Social care will receive more funding through the NHS in this spring’s 10-Year Health Plan, the health and social care secretary has revealed. |
Council inaction left disabled woman scared she would die
20/03/2025 A disabled Islington woman said she was scared she had been left ‘to die’ after the council took too long to decide what support she should receive. |
Government votes to reject health and care NICs exemption
19/03/2025 The Government has voted to reject a Liberal Democrat amendment to exempt health and care providers from a rise in NICs. |
New animation raises air quality awareness
17/03/2025 BCP Council is raising awareness of the dangers of air pollution among children across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole using the power of animation. |
Prevention services 'at risk'
12/03/2025 Prevention services are ‘at risk' because of rising social care spending, a local government leader has warned. |
London’s Ulez delivers ‘substantial’ air quality improvements
07/03/2025 London's ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) has led to ‘substantial improvements’ in air quality across the capital, new research reveals. |
Health and social care facing £457m funding gap in Scotland
06/03/2025 Health and social care finances in Scotland are facing a £457m funding gap in 2024/25, a new report has revealed. |
Vent-Axia Publishes Free eBook to Help Social Housing Landlords Navigate Awaab’s Law
05/03/2025 Leading British ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia has published a free eBook ‘Ensuring Safe Housing Conditions: Focusing on Mould and Damp Conditions’. |
